1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to document processing in which images and machine-readable (or coded or codeline) data are sequentially lifted from documents as they pass an imaging station and codeline reader station along the way from an input hopper to one of a plurality of sorting pockets. The present invention has particular application to the processing of financial documents in a banking environment, although it is not limited thereto, and applies to those image processing situations where the document processing is done remote from the central or host computer.
2. Background Art
Various approaches have been suggested for the image processing of checks and other financial documents in a banking environment. One such approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,812 entitled "Document Image Processing System" to R. F. Dinan et al., herein incorporated by reference and sometimes referred to as the "Dinan Patent." In the Dinan Patent, an architecture for the capture and processing of images in a bank situation is disclosed.
Another approach to image processing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,780 entitled "Document Processing System and Method" to Burns et al. and assigned to Teknekron, Inc. This patent, the teachings of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, is sometimes referred to as the "Burns Patent."
In both the Dinan Patent and the Burns Patent, the concept of an image camera mounted within a document processing system to capture and store digital images of a document is well disclosed. The document being processed in each of these patents also includes machine-readable MICR-style characters (referred to as codeline data), either readable through using OCR or magnetic techniques, to identify the account number and other identifying information on the check.
In each of these situations, the document processing system is coupled to a local host computer for the local processing of information. In some cases, however, the bank would prefer to have the document transport at a site remote (many miles or even states away) from its host or central computer. In some cases, it would be desirable to have multiple remote sites each with one or more document processor (5) and each feeding a central host computer information necessary to maintain the records on the checks processed and balances of each account.
It has been proposed that the central computer might store both the images and the codeline data (or machine-readable data) from each check in a central database. However, this would require substantial communication resource because the images represent large records, even when they are compressed using efficient compression techniques, and all the images must be moved from the remote site to the central site.
It has also been suggested in prior art systems that the images and codeline information be processed at a remote computer located at the remote site where the images were originally captured (the same site as the document sorter). This would avoid the necessity for large amounts of communication but would mean that the financial information on the checks would have to be uploaded at a later time from the various remote locations to central and the remote sites must have a check processing system to capture the codeline data and control the document processor (5) locally.
Those systems which suggest using additional check software at the remote site either are duplicates of the main site or are different from the main site. If they are duplicates, then the remote site requires an additional host with additional staff at the remote site. If the systems are different, then the bank must support a second type of check software system for its remote sites.
Accordingly, the document processing systems of the prior art have significant limitations and disadvantages.